Sunday, February 10, 2013

The queen of cities

It felt good to be back in
Thailand. So far we have only spent a few days in the capital, but
somehow it still felt like coming back home. We decided to take a
train to Ayutthaya, an ancient city 60 km north from Bangkok.
Although the train was
over an hour delayed, we decided not to complain, since the tickets
were a ridiculous 25 cents each. We liked the city from the moment we
have reached it, but we were not planning to stay for long. A day or
two we thought. And that was exactly what we said when our new
bungalow-neighbour, asked us how long we wanted to stay. He told us
not to make too many plans, as we may end up spending much more time
in the queen of all cities, as he called it. Back then we had no idea
how right he was.

Being back in Thailand had
one huge advantage, we were back to high accommodation standards for
little money, so we rented a lovely bungalow about a minute walk from
the ruins we were looking forward to explore. So far our idea of
local temples and palaces was like all the newly renovated, shiny
golden buildings we have seen in Bangkok. Now we were eager to see
the really old, stone ones. And we were not disappointed. There was
nothing new or shiny about them, which was exactly what made them so
impressive. The city seemed to be packed with magnificent stone
constructions and we were told it is only a small part of the whole
complex.

But it was not the temples
I remembered best from our sightseeing trip. It was the elephants.
Unfortunately they did not look too happy. Don't get me wrong, as far
as I can tell their owners were taking good care of them and they did
look healthy and all, but they were still made to run up and down the
city center in some ridiculous clothes carrying tourists around. I
believe it is not a life you wish for as an elephant and it's not my
idea of a nice elephant ride neither. But I was still impressed by
the elegance and carefulness with which they moved. I expected them
to be walking heavily, making a lot of noise, but what I saw was
exactly the opposite. They were amazing! And I was sure I want to get
to know those creatures better and try riding one myself, but I
decided to put it off until we could do it in a nicer environment.

Unfortunately, David was
not getting better. My cold was gone and forgotten, but his seemed
only to be getting worse. It actually got so bad, that we decided to
skip all plans we had for his birthday and spend the day visiting the
local private hospital. The place was very nice and we got a good
medical advice and all the medicines we needed, but David still ended
up spending his birthday in bed with antibiotics instead of a
birthday cake. And the diagnosis was clear, we should not travel,
especially on air conditioned buses as long as he's not better again.
We ended up stuck in the queen of cities for a whole week.

Being sick sucks, no
matter where you are, but Ayutthaya was not the worst city to get
stuck in. We had a nice and comfortable bungalow, our own terrace and
enough books to keep us occupied. We also had a few restaurants
around, serving absolutely amazing local dishes, which I ended up
eating for breakfast and dinner every day, not wanting to waste my
time on eggs and toasts. And we had the neighbours who knew the town
by heart and were always ready to help. They also wanted to make sure
we would try all the fresh fruits the city had to offer. And trust
me, they were delicious! All other plans were put on hold, David was
concentrating on getting better and I was dividing my time between
reading, enjoying various massages and shopping on the local market.
It was not the way we have planned it, but I believe we really needed
such rest. Our bodies had a lot to cope with for the last few months.
We were constantly changing countries and climates not really giving
them much time to reset, not even during Christmas. It was time to
sit down and relax. It was not easy, as there was still so much we
wanted to see and do, but it all had to wait.

We were both really happy
and relieved when David finally got better, but leaving the city was
still not an easy decision. We have never stay anywhere for so long
and I have to admit it felt nice. But we were also eager to move on.
We absolutely loved Thailand and wanted to see more of it. We were
especially looking forward to visit Chiang Mai, where we had some
serious plans, including our two new passions, Thai food and
elephants. We were even thinking about heading there immediately, but
fortunately, our neighbours advised us against it, convincing us to
make at least a short stop in Sukhothai. And I have to say I'm really
glad they did.

The second of the ancient
cities was just as magnificent as we had imagined it to be. One stony
temple after another, spread all over the green hills of the area
they all made an amazing impression. Instead of taking a bicycle or a
motorbike as most tourist do we decided to go for an extra long walk.
We did enough sitting in Ayutthaya, so or bodies were ready for
action again. At the end of the long day we were dead tired, but
happy and satisfied. We were back on track again and it felt great!

1 comment:

Wow! the photos are amazing and it looks like you chose a great place to be sick in:) I have to cheer up for you with your passions. I haven't tried much Thai food in my life but food generally is my passion:) And you will need to cook something when I come and visit:)Elephants...I love them. What's there not to love? Their wipping looking eyes, grey skin and a tiny tail. Soft moves and the fact that once you see them you have to make a step back in respect. They are such beautiful and smart animals! Ok, to the top of the page yet again:)xxx